Category Archives: teaching

Foundation of a Covenant Community of Faith

We build on certain premises: 1. God has revealed how the world could claim His blessings. The entry point for those blessings is the Covenant of Noah. Beyond this covenant, there is much more people could learn if they were … Continue reading

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Demonology 04

Did you expect a series on this subject to be full of esoteric stuff and macabre tales of weirdness? The whole point is to avoid having to face demons. Don’t let your human curiosity lead you to destruction. God calls … Continue reading

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Demonology 03

The other primary manifestation of demonic activity I encounter is in terms of influence. I do not deny that there are people out there who are clearly dominated by one or more demon spirits. However, I don’t encounter them much … Continue reading

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Demonology 2

In order to discuss ghosts, I need to dismiss some mythology. Ghosts are not disembodied spirits of people. When humans die, they go to face God in some sense we cannot comprehend from this life. They don’t come back. What … Continue reading

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Demonology 01

Our study in the gifts of the Spirit is a necessary foundation for dealing with another challenging topic: demonology. More specifically, your gifts and calling will determine to a large degree how you encounter demons and how you handle them. … Continue reading

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Understanding Spiritual Gifts 05

4. For Building Up the Body Several times in 1 Corinthians 12 Paul stresses that the purpose of spiritual gifts is to bless the whole community of faith as a single body. In Ephesians 4, the chapter begins with an … Continue reading

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Understanding Spiritual Gifts 04

3. Manifestations These gifts are: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, word of faith, healing, miracles, word of prophecy, word of discernment, glossolalia, and interpretation of tongues. These are ecstatic utterances of the mouth accompanying various miraculous effects in others. … Continue reading

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Understanding Spiritual Gifts 03

2. Motivations (Romans 12:3-17) This is another open list, but we can’t discern any additions until we understand well enough what Paul delineates here. The list of temperaments could be translated as prophetic, servant, teacher, encourager, giver, elder, and caregiver. … Continue reading

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Understanding Spiritual Gifts 02

Ministries (1 Corinthians 12:27-31) Paul lists them as apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, healers, support, management and communicators. While Paul enumerates them, it’s unlikely this list is closed. Rather, it likely reflects the way things were done in Paul’s experience. … Continue reading

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Understanding Spiritual Gifts 01

I’m not sure where this teaching arose, but I first encountered it in the mid-1980s while testing the waters with a charismatic church. The experimental church fell apart, but I learned an awful lot about the mythology of neo-pentecostalism. If … Continue reading

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